The Tender Mercies have Begun

There is a sweet man working down in the Mexico Ccm and his name is Esteban Nava otherwise know as estebannava on Instagram.  I started following him 2 years ago when a good family friend was down their for her mission.  He is the chef at the Mexico Mtc and his posts are full of yummy food that he makes for the missionaries.  I have enjoyed following him and seeing pictures of the missionaries working with him in the kitchen.

At some point we connected with him letting him know Ryan will be coming down there to begin his missionary and language training.  Our family has had many discussion about Esteban and his story and whether or not Ryan would meet and work with him.

So fast forward to the day Ryan left.  Many of you know that it is an extremely difficult time for the family when their missionary leaves, especially for the mom.  So that evening Roger and I were sitting outside reflecting on the day and feeling a little melancholy and wondering about how our son was doing. It is hard after 18 years to be left out of the loop (so to speak).  Lo and behold, in the middle of this, I see a post from Estebannava stating that he met Elder Pickering.  My heart leaped with joy and gratitude.  Then it got better.  A few minutes later, he sent me a picture of my son in the cafeteria on the night he arrived.  Coincidence?  NO!!  Heavenly father knew I need a sweet and calming witness that all was well with my son and he sent that reassurance in the form of a picture from one that was inspired to minister to me.  God knows us and what we need.  I am so grateful to Esteban and his kindness.

He looks so good and happy!

Then a few days later, Esteban came through again.  He sent me another picture.  This time it includes Ryan's companion (so I am guessing) and Esteban himself.  Isn't he so great?  It was another tender mercy for sure.  I am hoping that it was also a blessing to Ryan to know somehow that we are all connected and taken care of in the simplest of ways.

I am so looking forward to p-day and hearing the rest of the story.  I thanked Esteban, of course, and he told me it was his greatest pleasure to serve the Angels of the Lord.  I believe he is the true Angel in the form of a chef :)

First Contact

We received our first email from Elder Pickering.  It didn't contain much but at least we knew he made and that we would have to wait for what seems a very long time to hear from him again.

"Made it to the ccm safely.

My branch is 13 and district is A

My P day will be on Thursdays, but that is starting next Thursday, so it will be a bit before I get to email you all. I'm all soaked, it rained hard, but I am doing well.

Love you all

Elder Pickering

PS. finding the @ symbol took like 5 minutes, so enjoy it"

Just a reminder that his email is ryan.pickering@myldsmail.net.  He will be able to read his emails on Thursday while at the Mexico Ccm.

If you would like to contact him sooner, then here are two websites you can use.  When you send a letter through them, they print them out and deliver them within a day.

www.missionarypackagemx.com/

https://mtcmexicocarepackage.com/


Thank you for all of the support.

See you in 2!!

Goodbyes are so hard.  Especially when you know it will be for 2 years with minimal contact.  But Ryan was ready.  Together we have prepared for this moment for 18 years.  We knew it was coming.  It is what we wanted.  We know that it will change and bless Ryan's life forever.  He needed to go.  We needed to say goodbye.  But it was difficult nonetheless.

The Farewell and Luncheon

Ryan did a phenomenal job on his talk today.  He had many people come and support him.   So many have influenced and taught Ryan in his life and this is definitely a tribute to them.  I was overwhelmed by Ryan's friends.  Such good young people.

Family came through as always and brought yummy food and love. It was great!

We took pictures with his cousins Hayden and Ryan since they both will be leaving on their missions as well.  It is so cool to see such stalwart young men together and sharing their farewells until they meet again in 2+ years.  They will have such stories to share.

Temple Day

Ryan chose to make his temple covenants in the Jordan River Temple.  It was barely reopened after a long renovation it and it was lovely inside.  But more importantly, the joy and love we felt together in the house of the Lord surpassed everything.

It is a cherished and rewarding day when your child decides on their own accord to take such an important step on the covenant pathway.  We were thrilled to share in it together with so many loved ones.  Ryan is a fine young man and this is just the beginning of many wonderful days ahead.